KBA North America, a subsidiary of Koenig & Bauer AG, has recently purchased the design and manufacturing rights to MMI’s BDS-4000 flexographic press for corrugated. Terms weren’t disclosed. MMI also was appointed the exclusive sales agent for the product in the Americas.
"We’ve wanted to enter the corrugated segment of the market for some time and we examined the various products in this marketplace," says Scott Smith, president and ceo of KBA North America. "This machine very successfully offers the graphic capability that the marketplace appears to demand.
"We believe that this new press provides the platform to re-define the market and give KBA an immediate leadership position."
Based on principles used in web printing, the press is designed to achieve a print registration accuracy of 0.008 inches and employs a system of dual anilox rolls and ink systems per print station. Servo motors, rather than a conventional gear train and line shaft, are used to improve precision and, in the future, offer automatic registration.
With five manufacturing facilities in Germany and one in the U.S., KBA employs more than 7000 people and has annual sales turnover in excess of $1 billion. The company develops and manufactures a broad range of printing equipment, including sheetfed, commercial and newspaper offset presses and specialty machines for packaging, rotogravure, bank note printing, and telephone directory printing.
KBA North America will further engineer the BDS-4000 technology. Machines also will be manufactured, serviced and supported by KBA’s facility in York, Pa.
MMI has retained to provide exclusive sales representation for the new press in North, South and Central America. MMI President Roy Mercado will personally lead the sales effort.
"I’ve believed in this technology from the beginning and it is indeed gratifying to now have the strength and the years of expertise of KBA behind it and bolstering its future development," Mercado says.
MMI can be reached at 904-285-7272 or e-mail remercado@mmi-machinery.com. KBA can be reached at 717-505-1150 or e-mail ssmith@kbapa.com.
